Thrift Books

So I recently went "thrifting" for the very first time a little while back, and it was really fun. I didn't get much, just a vase for my table ($0.50), a huge framed print ($4.00), and six books for about 25 cents each. And if you know anything about me, you know that I am a book fanatic! I was so excited that books could be so cheap. Most of the books I didn't know anything about and just chose them because the cover looked cool or I had heard someone else talk about them. So far, I've only read two all the way through: The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, and The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells. Both of these books were great!

I'll start with The Art of Racing in The Rain. This book was most definitely a tear-jerker, especially if you are an animal lover. It is the story of race car driver Denny Swift, but told from the point of view of his dog, Enzo. Enzo has a nearly human mind, and he believes that he will be reincarnated as a human in his next life, according to a Mongolian documentary he watched on TV. On the eve of his death, Enzo recalls all the ups, downs, twists, and turns of his life with Denny and his family, including joining him on the racetrack, the death of Denny's wife, and the custody battle over Denny's daughter. This is truly a heart-wrenching story of love, loyalty, and family with a captivating look inside the mind of Man's Best Friend.

The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood is a book about Siddalee Walker, her mother Vivi, and Vivi's three best friends, Caro, Teensy, and Neecie, who  make up the Ya-Yas. When Sidda and her mother get in to a fight about an article posted in the New York Times, claiming Vivi was an "abusive" mother, it is up to the rest of the Ya-Yas to reunite them. A traumatized Sidda postpones her wedding to the handsome Connor McGill and retreats to an isolated lake house near Seattle, with a scrapbook made by her mother titled "The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood." Over the next few weeks, Sidda learns about her mother's childhood and her adventures with the rest of the Ya-Yas, but the album reveals more questions than answers. Eventually, Caro, Teensy, and Neecie sashay in to save the day and give Sidda answers about her mother that she's been too afraid to ask her whole life. Sidda decides it is time to reconcile with her mother, and her and Connor travel to the Louisiana Bayou for Vivi's "39th" Birthday. After reuniting with her mother and forgiving her all that she has held against her for so long, Sidda agrees to marry Connor the following week at her family home. This book about, family, love, and childhood friends and adventures will bring you to tears and make you laugh out loud, a great read for anyone!

I'm working on reading some of the other books, so look for some more posts in the near future!